Mom, older brother charged after 11-year-old found smoking meth

An 11-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital after smoking meth with his 21-year-old brother and a 16-year-old friend, according to the Baker County Sheriff’s Office.

That older brother, Brandon Vankuren, was arrested on drug charges, and the boys' mother, Angela Ritter, was charged with child neglect and possession of drugs.

The arrests came after a Baker County deputy noticed Vankuren with his brother and the teenager acting strange at 5:30 a.m. last Monday outside the Macedonia Convenience Store, north of Macclenny. While he was questioning the boys, the deputy noticed a baggie in one of their pockets with a substance that looked suspicious.

The arrest report shows Vankuren and the 16-year-old admitted to possessing methamphetamine. And all three of confessed to smoking the drug.

Paramedics rushed the 11-year-old to a hospital.

“I couldn’t believe it. Deputy knocked on my door and told me," Ritter's father-in-law, James Wilkerson, said. “I went down to the hospital and his heart rate was real high, and I sat with him until he was OK and I brought him home.”

Detectives say they arrested Vankuren and Ritter during the investigation on a previous drug warrant. After questioning Ritter, deputies charged her with child neglect.

"She honestly, really didn’t know that they had snuck out of the house that night," Wilkerson said. "And I knew that his brother was on drugs real bad, but instead of running him off, I was kind of respecting her by letting him stay here.”

Wilkerson said the 11-year-old is doing fine after he was released from the hospital. Wilkerson said, for now, he’ll help take care of the boy and hope the drugs stay away from his house.

Deputies said the 11-year-old will not face charges because he did not have any drugs in his possession, just in his system.

This BBSNews article was syndicated from News | WPLG, and written by News | WPLG. Read the original article here.

Do You Like loud, insidious Popups or video ads in your news?

Neither do we! We Have No Popups or autostart videos! Just fact-based News by award-winning journalists about some of the nation’s most important issues including throughout Indian Country. Keep us going by sending some coffee money, with sugar, please. Thank you for all those supporting BBSNews!

Subscribe to BBSN breaking news

Leave This Blank:Leave This Blank Too:Do Not Change This:

Your email:

International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers

The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers represents a diverse mixture of women and prayer. Each Grandmother, a Leader in her community, having devoted their long lifetimes to prayer and action. Sharing a dinner with a visiting Grandmother was very nice. Click the icon and visit them.

Thank you for reading BBSNews! We offer an alternative view and firmly believe that a fair and just peace in Palestine under the rule of law will alleviate a whole host of problems in the region and across the planet.

BBSNews uses cookies here on the Web site to improve your experience, personalise content and ads, and to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. AcceptRead More